TCS About Page

The Tamiya Championship Series is a radio controlled car racing competition that is organized by Tamiya America, Inc. with the regional support of participating hobby retailers throughout the USA. Tamiya America has developed rules and regulations to promote fair competition with the exclusive use of Tamiya branded R/C car and accessory products. The TCS Series is open to any hobbyist, both new and veteran, as a variety of classes are available to choose from. The class structure has a ladder system in place allowing participants the chance to progress through the series and advance as their skill level improves.

The TCS league is made up of participating hobby stores around the United States. Each year, a season calendar consists of 9-10 regional races culminating in the TCS Finals, which is held every August at the Tamiya America International Speedway located in Aliso Viejo, CA. The Hobby stores that are involved with the series have existing racing programs as part of their normal club racing promotional activities. They are part of the series because they extensively carry Tamiya products on their store shelves and market Tamiya’s racing cars to promote racing to new hobbyists. The racing facilities offered by participating hobby stores include temporary parking lot circuits or permanent indoor/outdoor asphalt and indoor carpet tracks.

The Tamiya Championship Series, as any form of organized racing, has its own rules and structure. The rules, classes, and structure for TCS are organized in a format that best provides a level playing field, with an emphasis on keeping low costs and high fun. To enter a TCS regional race all that is required is a Tamiya R/C car that falls under the class structure and rules. At this time, there are no entry fees to enter.

The TCS Finals is where the season culminates for most TCS racers, but for the lucky and talented few, it is just the beginning. Winning the TCS Championship Finals is the highest achievement in the United States for amateur R/C racers. The winners, from eligible predetermined classes, get the chance to compete in the Tamiya World Championship, which is held every November in Shizuoka, Japan, the hometown of Tamiya Inc. Eligible TCS North American champions are provided airfare, hotel and accommodations by Tamiya America, Inc. They are treated to see all of the inner workings of the largest hobby manufacture in the world.

The Tamiya World Championship takes place at Twin Messe, a large convention Center located just a mile away from the Tamiya Inc. headquarters. A temporary “state of the art” carpet track is erected inside the convention center just for the Tamiya World Championship finale. During the World Championships, attendees and the public are treated to the Tamiya FAIR, where all of the products that Tamiya manufactures are demonstrated and showcased. Tamiya also displays full sized race cars, motorcycles and sports cars that are often the subjects of existing or upcoming Tamiya models. Product demonstrations, various product activities and contests take place throughout the weekend. Tamiya’s designers are on hand to show the public and Tamiya World Championship attendees how Tamiya makes the tooling for many of its products.

The Tamiya World Championships is not just a world class race event; it’s the mecca of the Tamiya world of hobbies.